Date: Tue, 31 May 1994 09:19:39 -0400 (EDT) From: "ANNE WILSON, CDC NAC" AIDS Daily Summary May 31, 1994 The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) National AIDS Clearinghouse makes available the following information as a public service only. Providing this information does not constitute endorsement by the CDC, the CDC Clearinghouse, or any other organization. Reproduction of this text is encouraged; however, copies may not be sold, and the CDC Clearinghouse should be cited as the source of this information. Copyright 1994, Information, Inc., Bethesda, MD "Volunteers for Vaccines Get HIV" USA Today (05/31/94) P. 1D Several volunteers enrolled in the federal government's study to test experimental AIDS vaccines have become infected with HIV, raising concerns about the safety of such trials. The vaccines, which are being tested in small trials at five universities, do not contain any of HIV's genetic material, and cannot cause infection. Still, seven out of about 1,400 participants--including two who were receiving only placebos--have tested positive for the virus. All seven HIV-positive volunteers had been counseled about how to reduce the risk of HIV infection, but researchers have long worried that trial participants might erroneously believe that they are protected and engage in high-risk behaviors. Scientists say some new HIV infections were to be expected, and that no potential vaccine was likely to be 100 percent effective. There is concern, however, that recipients of AIDS vaccines may become more vulnerable to infection than they would have been otherwise, as the vaccines not only stimulate the immune system, but burden it. Related Stories: New York Times (05/30) P. 24; Washington Post (05/30) P. A7; Washington Times (05/30) P. A6. "Lawsuit Claims Bias Against AIDS Patient" USA Today (05/31/94) P. 4A; Ritter, John Jury selection begins today in a Toledo federal court for what is thought to be the first AIDS discrimination case to reach trial. Bruce Howe and the American Civil Liberties Union are suing Memorial Hospital in Fremont, Ohio, and Dr. Charles Hull, a physician who refused to admit Howe's former partner, Fred Charon, in April 1992. When Charon experienced a severe reaction to floxin, a prescription drug he had taken for the first time, during a road trip, Howe drove him to the emergency room of Memorial Hospital. After examining Charon, who had a fever, diarrhea, and was vomiting, Dr. Mark Reardon said Charon should be admitted, and left to call Hull, the admitting physician. He returned to say that Hull did not feel comfortable admitting an AIDS patient. Much of the case rests on whether Hull and the hospital can prove they transferred Charon to the Toledo Medical College of Ohio because they thought he had a rare skin disease called toxic epidermal necrolysis, TEN, and would receive better treatment there. The Toledo doctor says Reardon told him that Hull "didn't want to take care of an HIV-infected person," and that TEN was never mentioned. Howe maintains that the alleged discrimination caused Charon emotional distress which hastened his death in March 1993. "Genetic Attacks Readied on AIDS" New York Times (05/31/94) P. C1; Kolata, Gina In search of new ways to combat HIV/AIDS, some molecular biologists say AIDS should not be treated as if it were caused by an ordinary virus. Rather, it should be viewed as a disease of DNA. Because HIV integrates itself into the DNA of chromosomes, they argue that methods of gene therapy and molecular biology should be used to attack the virus as it subverts the cell's genetic machinery. This perspective on AIDS has spawned several new approaches--two of which are now ready to be tested on AIDS patients. Dr. Gary Nabel and colleagues at the University of Michigan Medical Center are seeking to inhibit a small but critical protein made by an HIV gene called the rev. Without the rev protein, genetic messages needed to make new viruses are not transported. And, at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, Dr. Roger A. Pomerantz is also targeting the rev gene. His method is to inactivate it with a specially designed antibody. "AIDS-Ed Quandary" Washington Times (05/31/94) P. C4; Koklanaris, Maria The Fairfax County School Board will vote in June for one of three AIDS presentations to be considered for the county's sex education curriculum. Those in favor of the county's sex ed curriculum tend to prefer "Face to Face," the only presentation which is currently approved as an optional part of the HIV/AIDS curriculum. In this program, young people with AIDS face the audience and candidly discuss their experiences--something proponents feel is more realistic than the other options. Critics of the current curriculum, however, favor "Facing Reality in the Age of AIDS," which they say is the only presentation that pushes an abstinence message. But adolescents are not likely to identify with Norm and Ginny Cadarette, the middle-aged New England couple who present "Facing Reality," says Kenton Pattie, president of the Fairfax County Council of PTAs. "I don't think they really represent the fear factor," he says. "They don't really grab a student like the 'Face to Face' kids do." As for "Secrets," a play about the dangers of AIDS, it raised the ire of many a parent when shown in Montgomery County, but is nonetheless favored over "Facing Reality." The School Board is scheduled to vote on June 23. "AIDS March Draws Thousands to Streets of Paris" Reuters (05/29/94) More than 10,000 people trekked five miles along the Seine river in France to demonstrate their support for people with AIDS and to raise money to fight the epidemic. The "March for Life" ended at the Eiffel Tower. France has the highest number of AIDS cases in Europe. An estimated 150,000 people there are infected with HIV. "Sampras Donates Trophy to AIDS Foundation" Reuters (05/28/94) World tennis top seed Pete Sampras says he will donate a trophy valued at nearly $1 million to the Arthur Ashe Foundation to help people with AIDS. Sampras is a three-time winner of the Lyon Open tournament, which qualifies him to receive the gold, bronze, and diamond-encrusted trophy. Instead, the tennis champ has instructed the jeweler to donate the trophy directly to the AIDS foundation, which was established by the late Wimbledon champion in 1992 to educate the public about the disease and raise money. "Epidemiology of AIDS and Suicide" Focus (04/94) Vol. 9, No. 5, P. 7; Cole, T.R.; Biggar, R.J.; Dannenberg, A.L. A large national study of death certificates from 1987 through 1989 showed that AIDS patients have higher rates of suicide, although the rate may be on a decline. Suicide occurred among AIDS patients of all ages, in most regions of the United States. Ninety-nine percent of the cases took place among men--a rate that was 7.4 times higher than that of the male population at large. Whites accounted for 87 percent of AIDS suicides, blacks for 12 percent, and other races made up the remaining one percent. AIDS patients most often used firearms, drug poisoning, or suffocation to end their lives. However, the rate of suicides among people with AIDS appears to be decreasing. The rate among AIDS patients dropped from 10.5 times that of the general population to 7.4 times in 1988, and to 6.0 times in 1989. The reduced rate of AIDS suicides may reflect greater optimism in the wake of medical advances, waning social stigma, and increased availability of pyschiatric support for people with AIDS. "Transitions" Advocate (05/17/94) No. 655, P. 22 Robert Massa, a writer and editor, died on April 9, at age 36, of AIDS-related causes. Massa founded "The Body Positive," a publication about AIDS, and also wrote and edited for "The Village Voice."